Beyond the Clones
by rcmgamer218
Summary: Follow the life of Zack Kras, a militia soldier under the command of Rahm Kota as he and his comrades fight CIS forces, and he meets the love of his life. Barriss Offee/OC at the very end, and Ahsoka will eventually become and main character as well
1. Chapter 1

Star Wars: Beyond the Clones

Ch.1

_Fondor; 47 days after Battle of Geonosis _

Zack Kras, an eighteen year old soldier in Jedi General Rahm Kota's militia, waited patiently inside one of Fondor's skyscraper for the CIS forces to arrive to his team could ambush them. Zack was only a rookie and this was his first ambush, so he was nervous, but his friend, Colby Var walked over and patted the Zack on the shoulder.

"Nervous kid?" Colby asked, and Zack nodded a little.

"Don't worry, Cole, I won't let you down." Zack said, and Colby smiled.

"I know you won't Zack, now keep your eyes peeled; I just received word from the general that the convoy will be passing through here any minute, and I need you to be ready to blow the charges on the bridge." Colby said, and Zack nodded and looked through his micro-binoculars.

"I can see them; based on their distance, I'd say they'll be here in about…three minutes." Zack said, he was right, the droid forces were on the bridge three minutes later, and Zack pressed the detonator, and suddenly a series of explosions destroyed the bridge, and the CIS convoy fell into the abyss below them.

"Way to go, Zack! General Kota, this is Lieutenant Var; the separatist reinforcements have been halted; you are clear to begin the attack, and the rest of us will join you shortly." Colby said through his comlink.

"Copy that, lieutenant." Kota said, and Colby and Zack stood up, grabbed their DH-17 blasters, and made their way down the skyscraper and ran over to the battle field, where a small squad of Kota's Elite Soldiers called Zack and Colby over.

"Lieutenant, Private, I'm glad you two showed up; those HAG's have the militia soldiers pinned down, and they can't reach the droid command center. Kota has asked us to charge that artillery position and clear the path of droids so the Heavy Soldiers can get a clear shot of the HAG's." The soldier explained, and Zack and Colby readied their rifles and when the Elite Commander gave the order, Zack and his comrades opened fire on the droid forces defending the artillery, and the attack distracted the droids long enough for the Heavy soldiers to fire their rockets at the HAG's and destroy them. With the artillery fire halted, Kota led the final charge on the command center and the soldiers and Kota quickly destroyed the droids, and the command center was theirs.

"Men, victory is ours!" Kota yelled, and the men started cheering, and Kota contacted General Windu and informed them of their victory.

"Well done, Master Kota. With Fondor in our control, we can increase our navy strength. I will be there tomorrow to start putting our foothold on the planet." Windu said, and Kota deactivated his communicator and set up a small fortress to defend the now Republic command center until Windu arrived with his forces.

"Men, you fought bravely today, and I am proud to fight next to you." Kota said, and the men raised their glasses and began celebrating their victory, except for Zack, who on the edge of the camp, lying on the ground, looking at the night sky.

"Zack, aren't you going to celebrate with us?" Colby asked, and Zack shook his head.

"No thanks; when we celebrated our first successful mission, you got me drunk and moved my cot in the middle of the river, naked by the way, with you guys on one side, and my equipment on the other." Zack said, and Colby chuckled and sat next to his friend.

"Yeah, I can remember how mad the General was at us; he said that what we did was stupid and risky because if we were attacked, you would've been the first to get shot because you were hung over and had no weaponry and no protection on." Colby said.

"That's why I'm never drinking with you again." Zack said with a smirk.

"You need to get a sense of humor, Zack." Colby said.

"And you need to learn to grow up." Zack countered, and Colby shoved his friend and the two started laughing.

"You know what you really need? A girl; how about we head into town and find you a nice girl; that's what keeps me going, even in the most hopeless situations." Colby said.

"How is she, anyway?" Zack asked.

"Last time I talked to her, she was in her fifth month of pregnancy with our little girl, but that was month ago." Colby said, and Zack sat up and patted his friend on the back.

"Don't worry Colby; I'm sure she's doing fine." Zack said, and Colby smiled and nodded.

"I know, but I miss her terribly." Colby said sadly.

"Well, the battle's over, why don't you contact her?" Zack suggested.

"I will tomorrow; it's too risky right now." Colby explained. "Now come on, at least have one drink with us, Zack. Nothing will happen, I promise." Colby said, and Zack stood up.

"Fine, but if you break that promise, I'll make sure you never have anymore kids." Zack said threateningly, and the two walked back to camp to celebrate their victory together.

_Later that night _

Zack woke up to the sound of yelling and the ground being shaken by explosions; a CIS counterattack. Zack picked up his helmet and blaster and ran out of his tent and began blasting every droid he saw, when suddenly, an AAT blast sent Zack flying ten yards, and landed in front of Kota, who had just cut a Super Battle Droid in half.

"Get up Private!" Kota ordered, and Zack stood up immediately and began shooting.

"General, what's going on!" Zack asked.

"The CIS hit us hard five minutes ago with a barrage of tank fire, and MTT's are deploying their droid forces as we speak! Our E-Web defensive positions were hit first, followed by our ammunitions tent. They caught us on our damn back foot!" Kota explained, and Zack pulled out his Vibro-blade and cut a droid in half.

"What are your orders, General?" Zack asked.

"There is a group of Dwarf Spiders, pinning down some a group of our Heavy Soldiers; you and Lieutenant Var need to rush the droids, and destroy them." Kota ordered, and Zack nodded and found Colby and immediately charged the droids, who were firing their lasers at a group of Heavy Soldiers. Colby gave a hand single for a grenade barrage, and Zack picked up a thermal detonator and tossed it, and it landed right in the middle of the droids, and the resulting explosion, as the explosion that came from Colby's detonator destroyed the droids, and gave the Heavy Troopers the opening they needed to fire their rockets at the AAT's and destroy them. Zack and Colby were about to make their way back to the camp, but Zack noticed something approaching them in the distance, and he pulled out his micro-binoculars and took a look at what he saw, and saw that they were CIS bombers.

"General! Hyena Bombers are heading your way!" Zack yelled through his comm.

"Damn! Is there anyway you and Lieutenant Var can destroy them?" Kota asked, and Zack looked around for anything he could use, when he saw two E-Web turrets that were damaged but looked operational.

"Lieutenant! Maybe we can use these turrets to destroy the bombers when they get close enough!" Zack suggested.

"It'll be risky, but we don't have much of a choice!" Colby said, and the two ran over to the turrets, activated them, and waited until the Hyena Bombers were in range, and opened fire. The E-Webs didn't fire as fast as normally, but it was enough to destroy the Hyena Bombers as they flew over the two soldiers.

"General, the bombers have been taken care of!" Zack reported.

"Good, we're mopping up the droid forces now; return to camp and help us finish them off." Kota ordered, and the two returned to the camp just saw that a few dozen droids were left. Zack and Colby charged into the camp and began blasting the droids, until they were all destroyed, and the soldiers started to cheer, and Kota's voice filled the air.

"Men, General Windu has arrived, and we have been given the all clear to leave the planet!" Kota said, and the men cheered again, even louder this time, and Kota's LAAT/I gunships arrived and landed around the camp. The men got on board their gunships, and were taken to the Acclamator cruiser that housed the militia. "Men, I just got word from command, and we're not going to have much time to rest; we're heading for Felucia at the request of Chancellor Palpatine to investigate suspected CIS activities on the planet." Kota said, and although the men were upset that they wouldn't be given much relaxation time, they were used to it; Zack just went to his quarters and grabbed a personal bacta canister and put the healing liquid on his wounds and began polishing his blaster and sharpening his vibro-blade. After a couple of hours, Zack went to the 'freshers, took a hot shower, and after putting his fatigues on, he went to the mess and got himself some food.

_Tranquility; same day _

Barriss Offee walked into her master's, Luminara Unduli, quarters, and saw that her master was meditating, and waited patiently for her to finish.

"Barriss, please, sit." Luminara said, and Barriss did as she was told and sat in a nearby chair, and her master turned around and faced Barriss.

"You called me, master?" Barriss asked, and Luminara nodded.

"Yes, we are going to Felucia to investigate the possibility of Separatist presence, with Master Rahm Kota. I thought it best that I go ahead and warn you that Master Kota is not like most Jedi Generals." Luminara said, and Barriss looked at her master, confused.

"What do you mean, master?" Barriss asked.

"Master Kota does not use a regular clone army like most Jedi; he uses a militia of volunteer soldiers to fight with him on his missions." Luminara said.

"Why?" Barriss asked.

"He believes that…the clone troopers are not fit for battle, they don't think…outside the box, as Kota has explained. I just wanted to inform you that, in order to prevent internal conflict, we will not be using our clone troopers, and will be relying on Kota's militia." Luminara said.

"Do you know if they can be trusted to do their duty?" Barriss asked, and Luminara nodded.

"Master Windu has spoken very highly of Kota, and I have just been informed that Kota has taken the planet, Fondor, from the CIS without any help from any other Jedi generals." Luminara explained. "We will be arriving at Felucia in a week's time, so rest up, and be ready for anything when we arrive." Luminara said, and Barriss nodded.

"Of course, my master." Barriss said, and with that, she left her master, and got ready for her mission to Felucia.

_Rancor's Claw; a few hours later _

Zack walked into the bridge of the Rancor's Claw, as ordered, and approached General Kota, and the Jedi turned around and Zack saluted the General.

"Private Kras, reporting for duty, sir!" Zack said, and Kota nodded approvingly.

"Zack, because of your actions on Fondor, I hereby promote you to the rank of Sergeant." Kota said.

"Sir…are you sure? I was only doing what I was ordered to do." Zack said, and Kota nodded.

"You deserve this rank, Sergeant, you may be young, but you fought with the bravery most people only see in veterans." Kota said, and Zack nodded and saluted Kota again before being dismissed, and Zack left the bridge with a proud smile on his face.

A/N: Well, here's Ch. 1; I hope you liked it, and if you did, know that I am working on Ch. 2 right now, and will update ASAP.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Rancor's Claw, Felucia; 54 days after Battle of Geonosis

When Zack woke up that morning, he knew he was going to Felucia, so he wasted no time eating his breakfast, putting his armor on, and making sure he had plenty of ammunition, ordinance, food rations, and medical supplies. He then went to the hanger to listen to Kota's briefing of the mission.

"We'll be landing in the Southern Hemisphere of the planet, and we'll be making our way east. Intel has informed us that the Separatist activity has been seen near the river, here." Kota said, pointing to a large river on the planet, and suddenly, a second Republic Acclamator exited out of hyperspace, and a single LAAT/I exited the cruisers hanger and flew to the Rancor's Claw, and landed in its hanger, and the blast doors opened and Master Luminara and Padawan Barriss Offee exited the gunship.

"Master Kota, it is good to see you again." Luminara said, and she and Barriss gave Kota a respectful bow.

"It's good to see you again as well, old friend." Kota said, and he looked at Barriss.

"This is my padawan, Barriss Offee." Luminara introduced, and Kota held out his hand, and Barriss shook it.

"I am at your service, Master Kota." Barriss said.

"Well, girl, I suggest you get to know some of these men, you may be stuck with them for awhile." Kota said, and Barriss nodded and left the two masters to discuss their plans. Meanwhile, Zack decided to waste time by polishing his blaster, when he saw a shadow cover, and he looked up and saw Barriss looking at him, smiling, so Zack stood up in an instant and saluted his commanding officer.

"Sergeant Kras, reporting for duty!" Zack said, out of instinct, and Barriss smiled again.

"At ease, Sergeant. I am Commander Barriss Offee, it's a pleasure to meet you." Barriss introduced.

"Likewise, commander. I've never met another Jedi, and to be honest, I was expecting someone…older." Zack said, and Barriss just smirked. "You must be what, twelve?" Zack said, and Barriss rolled her eyes.

"Sixteen, thank you very much." Barriss said.

"Ah, forgive me, commander." Zack said, and Barriss smiled.

"You are very…arrogant, around your commanding officers, aren't you?" Barriss asked, and Zack just smirked when Colby walked over to them.

"Don't be fooled by the act commander; Zack may talk like an idiot, and act like an idiot, but I promise you, he really is an idiot." Colby said with a smirk, and Zack elbowed his friend in the gut.

"Gentlemen, if you two are quite finished, we must be on our way." Luminara said, and the two instantly went into soldier mode, and saluted the general and climbed on board a nearby LAAT/i. The gunships took off and a few minutes later, they arrived at the landing zone, which was a large clearing.

"So we're going to have to walk the whole way?" Barriss asked, in a slightly annoyed tone.

"This is just a recon mission, girl, AT-TE's, AT-RT's, or speeder bikes can be detected if we get to close, that's why we had to land so far away from the river." Kota said.

"Barriss, you must learn patience; if you quiet your mind of questions, you will get your answers." Luminara said, and the padawan just nodded.

"This is going to be a long mission." Zack said, and Colby just chuckled as they continued to walk for several hours, until night fell.

"We'll camp here for tonight, and start moving again. Sergeant Kras, Lieutenant Var, Padawan Offee, you're on guard duty tonight." Kota said, and the two soldiers nodded and set up their defense weaponry, which were two E-Web cannons, a mortar, and two sniper rifles.

"Well, isn't this just great? We're stuck on a Force-forsaken nightmare of a planet, and we get all night guard duty." Zack said, leaning against a piece of flora. "What would the Seps want with this planet anyway?" Zack asked, and Barriss, who was looking through micro-binoculars, turned around and looked at the Sergeant.

"Felucia has several flora that contains very toxic poisons that can be used to create extremely destructive biological and chemical weaponry." Barriss said, and Zack looked at what he was leaning against, and immediately jumped up and began trying to wipe whatever might be on his armor off, causing Colby and Barriss to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah; laugh it up you two." Zack said, lying down in a prone position and looked out the scope of his sniper rifle.

"Hey, it could be worse." Colby said, and Zack turned his head to look at his friend.

"Yeah, I could be stuck on this planet, AND look like you." Zack said, and Colby picked up a small rock and threw it, hitting Zack's helmet.

"Hmm, so this is what being a professional soldier is like?" Barriss asked, and the two militia men started chuckling.

"You're new to war, aren't you commander?" Colby asked, and Barriss nodded.

"Well, something I've learned on my planet, and something I've taught Zack, is that keeping your sense of humor can keep you from going insane on the battle field." Colby said, and he got out a canteen and took a small drink of water. "Of course, you also need to learn when it's time to have a good time with friends, and when you need to get serious."

"You better be careful with that water Lieutenant; we're not sure if the water on this planet is drinkable." Zack said, and Colby put the canteen away.

"I've told you Zack; when it's just you and me, call me Cole." Colby said.

"But it's not just you and me, now is it?" Zack asked, and he made a gesture to Barriss.

"You won't mind if me and the Sergeant are informal, would you commander?" Colby asked, and Barriss shook her head.

"By all means, Lieutenant, go ahead." Barriss said, and Colby smirked.

"See?" Colby said, and Zack rolled his eyes, and continued looking through his scope, when he saw something that got his attention.

"Yes. You want to know what I also a see; a group of of Acklay walking towards us." Zack said, and Colby immediately got serious and looked out his own sniper scope, and saw the beasts making their way towards the camp.

"Stang! Commander, go wake up the generals, tell them about the Acklay! Sergeant, prepar to fire the mortar! And how many Acklay do you see?" Colby asked, and Zack began counting.

"I count six!" Zack said, but Barriss looked at the direction the two soldiers were looking in.

"Wait; I sense ten Acklay approaching." Barriss said, and Zack zoomed in.

"Are you sure, commander? I only count…wait, I see them; four more about fifteen meters behind the first six!" Zack said.

"Sergeant, aim the mortar for the four in the back, I'll pick off the six in front with my sniper rifle." Colby ordered.

"But Lieutenant, they'll reach the camp before you can kill them all!" Zack said, but Colby stuck to his plan.

"Just do as I order Sergeant!" Colby said, and Zack nodded and loaded the mortar while Colby aimed his rifle, and Barriss woke the two Jedi Masters. Zack launched a mortar round, and because the Acklay were so spread out, only two were killed in the first blast, and Colby killed one of the six in the front by shooting it in the head. With the Acklay now charging, Zack ran over to the E-Web cannon and began firing at the remaining Acklay, but the beasts were spreading out, making it hard for Zack to kill one of them. Suddenly, three lightsabers activated, and Master Kota charged one Acklay and Luminara and Barriss attacked another. While the Jedi distracted the Acklay, Zack and Colby pounded the beasts with E-Web fire until they died. With only half of the Acklay dead, the Jedi were forced to return to Zack and Colby's positions.

"There's too many of them!" Barriss said, when suddenly, two Elite Militia Soldiers and a Heavy Trooper appeared, Z-6 Rotary cannons and rocket launcher armed and ready to fire, and at Kota's orders, the three soldiers unleashed all fury and made quick work of the remaining Acklay.

"Good work men." Kota said, and the soldiers saluted him and the two Elite and the Heavy trooper went back to the camp, and Zack and Colby and Barriss went back to guard duty.

"Wow, I have to admit, that was an impressive change; from a humorous young adult, to a serious soldier that will follow orders without question." Barriss said, talking about Zack, and Colby put a hand on Zack's shoulder.

"Zack is one of the most couragest soldiers I've seen, despite his age. He puts his trust in his commanding officers, while in his own instincts as well. He saved a lot of lives on our last mission." Colby said, and Zack just smirked.

"I was only following orders; Kota told me to find a way to destroy the bombers, and I did." Zack said.

"You're way too modest Zack; you showed bravery I wouldn't expect from someone as young as you." Colby said, and Zack just shrugged and went back to his guard duty.

The next morning

"All soldiers, assemble!" Kota ordered, and all of Kota's militia formed up in front of the General, and waited for their orders. "There's been a change of plans; as it turns out, there is a large Acklay nest three clicks from here. So, to prevent heavy casualties, we are going to go through a series of caves twenty clicks to the north of here. Then, we'll follow the river at the other side, which will lead us to the suspected Separatist activity area, however, it will put us four days behind schedule. So, eat your breakfast rations, clean and load your weapons, and be ready to move in fifteen standard minutes!" Kota ordered, and the soldiers got did as they were told. Zack was sharpening his Vibro-Sword as he ate when Barriss sat next to him.

"I never knew Vibro-swords needed to be sharpened." Barriss said, trying to strike conversation.

"It does every now and then. I guess that's a major advantage of a lightsaber; it always works." Zack said.

"Well, not always; it doesn't work so well when it's cut in half or underwater." Barriss said, unclipping her lightsaber and examining it.

"I guess, but then again, all weapons have their advantages and disadvantages." Zack said, and Barriss shrugged.

"So how did you get into Master Kota's militia?" Barriss asked.

"Well, he came to my home planet, Naboo, looking for a few brave men and women willing to join his militia, and I wanted to fight for the Republic on the front lines, instead of going to Theed Academy of Arts." Zack said as he took a bite out of his rations.

"You were going to go to an arts school?" Barriss asked, mildly surprised to something like that from a soldier.

"I have an interest in art and literature, and I was going to be taught how to be a nobleman, like my dad was, but I'd rather be something useful." Zack said.

"So you gave up a life luxury and comfort, to be a soldier in a war and live hand to mouth and risk dying every day…you're either really brave, or really crazy." Barriss said, and Zack chuckled.

"I'm probably a little bit of both, I'm sure my parents think so, though they supported me as I requested to join." Zack said, as he thought of the bittersweet moment he had with his family.

"Other than your family, did you leave anyone you love behind?" Barriss asked.

"I may have left a few broken hearts behind." Zack said with a smirk, but Barriss could tell he was lying, even without the Force. "Okay, I had one girlfriend, but we had to split ways; she didn't like the idea of me being a soldier."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Barriss said, and Zack shrugged.

"Hey, if things weren't meant to be, they weren't meant to be. I have no regrets." Zack said.

"Men, we're moving out!" Kota yelled, and Zack put his Vibro-sword on his back, clipped his rifle to his belt, and grouped up with his fellow soldiers, and they continued to march towards the caves that would lead them to their objective.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

_Felucia; 59 days after Battle of Geonosis _

"Worst. Mission. Ever." Zack said as he stepped into an unusual substance that smelled horrible. Although he hated his mission, he continued walking through the cave with his general and comrades, waiting for something to happen. More and more he hoped that Intel was wrong about there being Separatist activity just so he could leave the planet, and hopefully never return.

"Oh come on, this could be worse." Colby said, doing his best to cheer Zack up.

"Easy for you to say; you don't smell rancor poodoo!" Zack said, getting angry, and Barriss, who heard Zack's outburst, walked over to him.

"Zack, are you feeling alright?" Barriss asked, and Zack just sighed.

"Yes commander, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Zack answered, but Barriss wasn't convinced.

"I can sense you lying." Barriss said, and Zack sighed again.

"Look commander, I appreciate your concern, but right now is not a good time to talk; if you want, we can talk when we set up camp, but right now, we need to focus on moving forward." Zack said, and Barriss nodded in agreement. Barriss then walked back to her master and they continued to march for hours until they found an exit to the cave.

"General, is this right? According to my map, we should've been in that cave for at least two more days." Colby asked, and Kota got out his holomap and tried to figure out what was going on.

"Well Lieutenant, this exit isn't recorded on the map; must be a new one, but from where we are, it looks like we may be able to move ahead of schedule by two days." Kota said, and he saw down while he and Luminara mapped a new route.

"So, ready to talk now?" Barriss asked Zack, who was busy cleaning whatever it was he stepped in off his boot.

"Sure, as long as you don't mind the smell." Zack said with a smile, and Barriss chuckled.

"Wow, we exit the cave and you're automatically in a better mood." Barriss said, and Zack chuckled a little.

"Yeah…I just don't like tight spaces, like that cave; that's why you'll never find me in the cockpit of a starfighter." Zack explained.

"Ah, you're claustrophobic." Barriss said, and Zack nodded. "Want to tell me why?" Barriss asked, and Zack shrugged.

"I honestly don't know why I'm claustrophobic, guess I was born like that." Zack explained. "But don't think that I'm a whiner or wimp; I'm still a soldier, through and through!" Zack said, and Barriss just smiled.

"You don't have to explain that to me, I've seen you in action; you're beyond being a capable soldier." Barriss said, and Zack smiled.

"Thanks. So, commander, you know about me, but I hardly know anything about you." Zack said, and Barriss just shrugged.

"There's not much to know; I've been a Jedi my entire life." Barriss said, and Zack shrugged and continued cleaning his boot, when suddenly, something roared so loud, it hurt everyone's ears. Following the roar was a large thumping, and a few seconds later, a giant bull rancor appeared, and the soldiers scattered, trying to avoid the monster, though some were caught and either crushed to death or eaten.

"Find cover!" Kota ordered, and the soldiers tried to hide in tight spots where the rancor couldn't reach them, while others tried to distract it by shooting it with their weapons. Zack and Colby tried to shoot the rancor in the eyes, though their shots were off, hitting it only in the nose or mouth. Zack took cover behind a large rock and began increasing the power of his next shot, hoping to break the skin and wound it. Before he finished charging his blaster though, he was grabbed by the rancor by his leg, and the beast lifted Zack and was about to eat him, when Zack pulled the trigger, and a powerful blast hit the rancor in the eye, and it started bleeding. Although the monster was hurt, it didn't let go of Zack, instead, it started slamming Zack onto the ground.

"SERGEANT!" Barriss yelled, running from her cover to try and help Zack. Barriss activated her lightsaber and ran at the rancor, and jumped on its head and stabbed it right in the center of its cranium. The rancor, now roaring in pain, dropped Zack and gave him the chance to ran, but he didn't.

"Sergeant! Find cover!" Colby ordered, but Zack got a thermal detonator from his belt and threw it right into the rancor's mouth while it was roaring. Once the mouth closed, however, Barriss, who saw what Zack did, jumped off the head of the beast, and a few seconds later, the grenade went off, and the head of the bull rancor disappeared in the blast, and when the blast disappeared, all that was left was the neck, and blood pouring from it.

"Zack…are you alright?" Barriss asked, and Zack nodded, but suddenly, he grabbed his side, the adrenaline wearing off and the pain from being thrown around kicking in.

"Yeah…yeah I'm fine." Zack lied, and he put his hand on his side, showing his bluff.

"Right, come on, let me see your wounds." Barriss said, but Zack shook his head.

"Later…we have to keep moving! I'm not going to hold up this mission!" Zack said stubbornly, and he put his weapons up and Kota ordered his men to keep marching, although Barriss wanted to heal Zack.

_Militia camp; eleven hours later _

When Barriss was finished setting up her tent, she went to find Zack, aware that he was still in pain. She walked around the camp, trying to find Zack, and saw that he was polishing his blaster, though he was groaning every time he moved his arms.

"Okay, you ready for me to heal your wounds?" Barriss asked.

"I'm fine commander, really." Zack said stubbornly, but Barriss rolled her eyes.

"I told you, call me Barriss. Also, I know you're lying, so just let me heal you." Barriss said, and Zack sighed, and began taking his armor plates off, followed by his top fatigues. Zack then raised his arm, showing a large bruise on his side. Barriss put both of her hands on Zack's wound, and he groaned in pain a little, and Barriss could tell he had broken ribs. She focus her Force powers on Zack's wound, and began healing it, and Zack gave a small sigh of relief as the pain went away. Unbeknownst to Zack, Barriss was secretly looked at Zack's bare chest, though she knew it was against her code, she found Zack extremely attractive. However, just as fast as she started, she stopped looking and focused on healing Zack. A few minutes later, Zack's bruise was gone and his ribs were healed.

"Thanks, Barriss." Zack said, and he began putting his fatigues back on, and went back to cleaning his weapons, and Barriss just smiled.

"Of course. So Zack, mind if I ask you a few more questions?" Barriss asked.

"Go ahead, I enjoy your company." Zack said.

"Thank you. So, has your family been Naboo nobles for very long?" Barriss asked.

"No actually. Believe it or not, my dad was actually a bounty hunter before he settled down with my mom." Zack said.

"You don't say?" Barriss said, and Zack nodded.

"Yeah, my dads side of the family actually comes from a long line of bounty hunters, dating as far back as my great-grandfather. I guess that's why I'm so good at fighting." Zack said, and Barriss rolled her eyes.

"Well, aren't you the humble one?" Barriss said sarcastically, and Zack chuckled.

"Sorry, I forget that humility is a big thing for the Jedi." Zack said, and Barriss smiled.

"It's fine. So what made your dad quit being a bounty hunter?" Barriss asked.

"He met my mom…well, technically, he got her pregnant with me." Zack said.

"Really? That doesn't sound like most bounty hunters." Barriss said.

"Well, my dad had a bit of a moral code." Zack explained.

"How'd they meet? Do you know?" Barriss asked.

"Not really; I just know that my mom was a noble at the time, and when they met, they hated each other, but a few months later, my grandfather walked in on them in her bedroom, sound asleep. My dad said he was never so scared for his life more than that moment. They got married a couple of months later when they discovered that she was pregnant." Zack explained.

"Wow." Barriss simply said.

"Yeah. About three years after I was born, my mom gave birth to my twin sisters." Zack explained.

"That sounds fun." Barriss said.

"I actually loved my sisters, though they started to hate me when they grew up and things started…developing." Zack said.

"Oh, you must have embarrassed them real bad." Barriss said.

"Understatement of the year, that. I walked them to school, and made sure all the boys, no matter their age, stayed ten yards away from my sisters, and made even extra sure that their pants stayed on and their hands stayed off." Zack said with a smile.

"Wow…how did they react when they heard that you were joining Master Kota's militia?" Barriss asked.

"They cried for a week. Couldn't stand the thought of their big brother leaving them." Zack explained, causing a bittersweet smiled to form on his lips.

"You miss them?" Barriss asked, and Zack nodded.

"Terribly; but I constantly remind myself that I'm fighting for them. Though I do talk to them whenever I can; Kota set up a communication system for us militia men so we can keep in touch with our families. But most of our missions take months at a time, so I don't talk as much as I want to. If I could, I'd talk to my family all day, every day, but that wouldn't be fair to the rest of the galaxy." Zack said.

"Oh…" Barriss said, and they continued to talk until Kota ordered his men to go to sleep.

The next day

Kota and his men woke up an hour before dawn, and immediately continued their march to the factory. Five hours passed, when Kota looked at his map, and he immediately ordered his troops to stop.

"Men, we're close to the factory according to this map; but there's only one way to get to it, and that's through this small path ahead of us. To risky for our entire army to walk through, so we're just going to have to send a small team of ten, Lieutenant Var, you'll lead this team, so I'll let you pick who goes with you." Kota said, and Colby nodded and picked his team, Zack being one of them.

"Master Kota, if I may, I suggest we send my padawan. She would be most valuable to your men." Master Luminara said.

"Very well. Padawan Offee, you will accompany the men to the factory. It is about three klicks from here, and all you have to do is go down this path, and you'll eventually find the factory." Kota explained, and Barriss nodded.

"Very well, Master Kota." Barriss said, and she joined the men as they marched down the narrow path.

_Path to the factory; a couple of hours later _

As the ten man team marched down the path, Barriss walked next to Zack, trying to keep her new friend company busy with talking. They talked the entire time, making time go by a bit faster than normal, but they immediately stopped all talking when they saw a the factory they were looking for.

"General Kota, this is Lieutenant Var; we've found the factory." Colby said through his communicator.

"Very good Lieutenant, what are it's defenses?" Kota asked.

"Several Anti-Air cannons serve as a perimeter defense, tanks and droids protect the main entrance to the facility. A direct attack would be suicide. I'm scanning the area the area now and will send the data to you immediately." Colby said.

"Very good Lieutenant, Kota out." Kota said, and the comm went silent and Colby immediately started scanning the area.

"How long is this going to take Lieutenant?" Barriss asked.

"Just a few moments Commander…done! Sending the information now." Colby said, and as soon as he did, the alarms around the factory went off and several STAPs flew towards the teams locations. "STAPs! Shoot them down!" Colby order, and the soldiers opened fire, but the STAPs were moving too fast and none of them were hit before they started shooting back at the soldiers. Four of the soldiers were killed instantly by the blaster bolts going through their body, and Colby ordered the rest to run, and Barriss activated her lightsaber and began deflecting the STAPs blaster fire to cover the soldiers, and she managed to destroy two of the STAPs by reflecting blaster fire back to them, but the remaining four flew past Barriss and began shooting at the soldiers. Three were killed this time, and Zack took a shot in the leg, making him fall, leaving him vulnerable. But Zack didn't give up easily; he rolled onto his back and began shooting at the STAPs, and he shot down three of them, leaving one more, and it turned around to finish Zack off, but Barriss threw her lightsaber at the droid controlling the STAP, cutting its head, and Barriss used the Force to lead the out of control STAP away from Zack as it crashed into the ground. As Colby and the remaining soldiers ran, they unknowingly walked into a trap; several seeker spider droids popped out of the ground and opened fire, their powerful lasers going right through the soldiers armor.

"COLE!" Zack yelled, as he painfully got back on his feet and ran to his fallen friend while Barriss destroyed the spider droids. When he got to Colby, the man had several blaster wounds in his chest and was severely bleeding. "Cole…" Zack said mournfully as he friend coughed up blood.

"Zack…" Colby struggled to say.

"Hold on bud; I got some bacta, I can get those wounds healed up…" Zack said, but Colby shook his head.

"No…it's too late Zack…" Colby said, and Zack started to tear up. "Listen…when you get back on the ship…I want you…to contact my wife…tell her…I love her and that…I'm sorry…sorry that I won't be there when our baby girl is born…promise me that you will…" Colby said.

"Cole, I can't…" Zack started, but Cole stopped him.

"Promise me!" Colby said aggressively, and Zack reluctantly nodded.

"I will." Zack finally said, and Colby smiled.

"Thank you…Zack…see you…on the other side." Colby said, and his head fell limp as he died. Zack couldn't hold back his tears any longer as he closed Colby's eyes. Barriss, although she knew Zack was hurt by losing his best friend, got Zack back on his feet.

"Zack…we have to get moving; the Separatists are sending reinforcements!" Barriss said, but Zack didn't move. "Don't let Cole's sacrifice be in vain." Barriss said, and Zack nodded as he turned his back to the corpse of his best friend, and the two started running, Zack ignoring the pain in his leg. They made their way back to the path that would lead them back to Kota's army, but a several turrets popped from the ground, but instead of firing blaster bolts, they fired yellow, high speed capsules that, when they hit something, they exploded into a powder. Zack and Barriss tried to avoid the capsules, and although Barriss jumped passed the turrets, Zack's wounded leg slowed his movement, and a capsule hit him square in the face, and Zack breathed in the powder and began to cough. Barriss then destroyed the turrets, and the two continued towards the path, but Hyena bombers flew above them and dropped their payload, near the two and the path. Barriss jumped to avoid to blast while using the Force to push Zack away. Thinking that they hit their targets, the bombers returned to the factory, and the alarms stopped blaring. Barriss, realizing that now was their chance to escape, she went to Zack and helped him back on his feet, and the two began running again. When the two got to the start of the path, however, it wasn't walkable; debris and flames were everywhere.

"Damn!" Zack said, and Barriss tried to find another path, when she noticed a small clearing not far, and although it led to the opposite direction than the camp, they didn't have much of choice.

"Come on, Zack, this way." Barriss said, and she led Zack to the clearing, when suddenly, the alarms went off again, alerting the two that they were spotted again. They ran into the clearing, and didn't stop for a couple of hours, when they saw a small cover nearby. "Come on, we can stop here, and I can take a look at that wound on your leg." Barriss said, and she led Zack to the cave, and they went as far inside it as possible, and stopped at the end.

"I can't believe Cole is dead…he was my best friend…" Zack said as Barriss examined his leg.

"I'm so sorry for your loss Zack…I know the Lieutenant was your best friend…I could change how this turned out…I would." Barriss said.

"I know, and I appreciate that Barriss, but right now, we just need to focus on getting back to the camp." Zack said, and Barriss pulled out a small bacta canister, and put the blue liquid on Zack's wound. But little did they know, that blaster wound wasn't the last of Zack's troubles. Barriss, however, just looked outside and saw that it was becoming night fall.

"It'll be better if we set up camp here; we can find our way back to camp in the morning. Besides, you need your rest." Barriss said, and Zack nodded as he pulled out a small heat generator to keep them warm, and Zack quickly fell to sleep as he put his head down.

_Later that evening _

Barriss woke up to the sound of a disgusting coughing and hacking, so she turned around to check on Zack, and the light from the heat generator revealed something disturbing; Zack was coughing up a lot of blood, and his skin was covered in black spots, and was bleeding from the centers of the spots.

"ZACK!"


End file.
